Liquid dispensing device



2 SHEETS--SHEET 1 R. W. WOODVVARD LIQUID DISPENSING DEVICE March 17,1953 Filed April 9, 1947 March 17, 1953 R, w. wooDwARD LIQUID DISPENSINGDEVICE 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 Filed April 9, 1947 Patented Mar. 17, 1953UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 12 Claims.

This invention relates to a mechanism for controlling and recording thequantities of liquid dispensed from an inverted bottle or equivalentcontainer. More particularly, the invention is designed and intended forcontrolling the dispensing of beverages. In many beverage dispensingcenters, such as hotel bars, the owner or proprietor is necessarilyabsent most of the time and employees are apt to resort to practiceswhich wrong the proprietor or customer or both. For example, yanexpensive beverage in a labelled bottle may be replaced by a cheapergrade so that the customer does not get what he pays for. Furthermore,the beverages offered for sale are subject to test at any time byfederal agents. The discovery of substitution or dilution of suchbeverages renders the proprietor liable to severe penalties. It is anobject of the present invention to provide a device which can be lockedto the neck of a bottle, which prevents the insertion o1" any liquidinto the bottle or the unrecorded removal of liquid therefrom, and whichcan be operated to dispense the contents of the bottle in measureddoses. The device registers the number of doses dispensed, printsdesired indicia such as price gures von tickets, and discharges eachdose in such a manner as to prevent any subsequent drip from thedischarge outlet.

The present invention includes improvements over the inventionillustrated and described in application Serial No. 699,730, ledSeptember 26, 1946, now abandoned, by Earle F. Thompson and Robert W.Woodward for a device designed for somewhat similar purposes.

Various other advantageous features will be apparent to one skilled inthe art from the following description of the invention and from thedrawings, of which:

Figure l is an elevational View of a series of devices embodying theinvention shown in position for use;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of one of these devices, the supportingframe being Shown in section;

Figure 3 is a plan view of one of the devices with the top coverremoved;

' Figure 4 is a section on the line :i-l of Figure 3, this lfigure alsoincluding the cover of the device and the elements above the cover;

Figure 5 is a section on lthe line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-'6 of Figure 4;

Figure '7 is a section on the line l-l of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a section on the line 8 8 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of the device in an invertedposition, showing how it is inserted in the neck of a bottle;

Figure 1G is a fragmentary -view in partial section showing the devicein inverted position secured to a bottle.

The .invention is embodied in a device which consists of a rectangularhousing 26 to the bottom of which is secured a measuring chamber 22 andfrom the top or' which projects a tubular member 2li adapted to beinserted into the neck of a bottle 2l so as to provide a passage throughthe housing 20 into the measuring chamber 22. The housing 2t ispreferably made of` a suitable material such as aluminum and containsoperating mechanism hereinafter described in detail. As indicated inFigure Ll, the chamber 22 may be in the form of a cylindrical cup oftransparent material such as a synthetic resin or glass, screw threadedto a cover plate 23 and secured thereto by a Dutchman 25, the plate 23being secured to the bottom of the housing 29 by screws (not shown)which extend down through the bottom of the housing and into the plate.The plate has a central aperture into which the lower end of the tube 24is screw-threaded. The upper end of the tube 24 is notched as at 25 toreceive a tool by which it is rotated to screw it into engagement withthe chamber top 23. The upper end of the tube 2L! is thrust into theneck of an upright bottle 2l, the device being inverted in the mannerillustrated in Figures 9 and l0, and is locked therein. The bottle isthen inverted with the device attached thereto and the device is securedto a suitable support 30 by means of a pair of ears 32 and 34 whichextend along one end of the housing 2i) and are adapted to engage behindthe inturned flanges 3E and 38 of a channel member 40 of indeterminatelength which is secured horizontally on the support 3B. The ears 32 and34 are so related to the flanges 35 and 38 as to permit the ear 32 to bepushed up behind the ange 36 a suicient distance to permit the ear 34 toclear the ange 38 and enter the channel. The housing is then moved downto catch the ear 3d behind the ilange 38. In order to secure the housingagainst accidental removal, a locking member d2 (Figures 3 and 4) ispushed into position under the ange 36. This locking member may consistof a slide having two slots 44 inclined with respect to an edge thereof,these slots having pins s6 projecting therethrough from the housing Wallto cam the locking member 42 sideways into locking position when it ispushed longitudinally. rEhe slide can be retracted to permit a quick andeasy mounting and dismounting of the device on the channel iiD.

Figures 9 and 10 illustrate the means by which the device is secured toa bottle and locked in place. The device is shown inverted in thesefigures, so that the terms upper and lower as applied to the parts referto their position as illustrated in Figure 4. For securing the device toa bottle the upper portion of the tubular member 24 which projects fromthe top plate or cover of the housing is surrounded by a collet member5B of springy material such as brass which is slidably itted thereon.The upper portion of the collet member is split by a number oflongitudinal slots Which permit the upper end of the collet to expand.The extremity of the collet is made with an enlarged exterior diameteras at 52 and with a converging interior wall as at 54. Thus, when thecollet member 58 is moved down toward the housing 2t, the converginginterior wall surfaces 543 are cammed by the upper end of the tubularmember 2d so as to expand the collet. If this is done after the tubularmember 24 and collet member have been inserted into the neck of abottle, as illustrated in Figure 10, the expansion of the collet withinthe neck of the bottle prevents retraction of the collet and tube fromthe bottle until upward movement of the collet member relative to the`tube 24 permits the collet to contract.

In order to lsecure the collet in an expanded position as shown inFigure 10, a suitable means is provided comprising a ratchet element 56which is secured to and extends downward from a disk or ange 58 on thelower end portion of the collet member El). The ratchet element 56projects through a small hole in the top of the housing 2c and islaterally engaged by a spring latch which is secured to the undersurface of the top cover. The ratchet element 55 is provided with anumber of teeth S2 which are arranged to catch successively upon thelatch Eli when the ratchet element is pushed downward on the tube whilethe collet progressively expands until its entire circumference engagesthe inside of the bottle neck at a point where the interior diameter `isgreater than at the mouth o1" the bottle. Two teeth 62 are shown on theratchet member illustrated Yin Figures 9 and 10, but a greater numbermay be provided to accommodate bottle necks oi various interiordiameters at a distance from the mouth equal to the length of the colletmember 5G. The spring latch 6D thus eiectively prevents reverse movementof the ratchet element 5E relative to the tube 2Q so that the collet ismaintained in its expanded condition until the latch is pushed aside todisengage it from the ratchet element. For this purpose, a dog Sii isprovided on a rotatable lock barrel 65 (Figure '7) which can be rotatedonly b-y the use of a key which ts the lock. Thus, while the device canbe readily secured to `a bottle by thrusting the tubular member 24 andcollet into the neck of the bottle and then pressing on the flange 53 toexpand the collet within the bottle neck, a suitable key is required for`the release of the collet member so as to 'permit lthe removal of thedevice from 'the bottle. In order to prevent leakage from the bottlewhen'it is inverted, as shown in Figures l and 4, the collet member issurrounded by a suitable sleeve E6 of rubber or other soft material anda 'boot lil is provided between the lower end of the collet member 5i]and an adjacent portion of the exterior surface of the tubular member2li. Thus, if there is any seepage downward between the tube 24 and thecollet member 5%, it will be -caught within the boot lil. This boot maybe made of any suitable flexible material such as a Vinylite resin.

As shown in Figure 4, the tubular member 24 `extends down through thehousing Z and communicates with the chamber 22 in which quantities ofliquid from the bottle 2 are measured. At the bottom o1" the chamber 22is an outlet member l2 which, as shown, may be in the form of a hollowcylinder closed at its upper end. This cylinder projects through thebottom of the chamber 22, the closed upper portion being within thechamber, the open lower portion serving as a discharge spout. The upperportion of the cylinder within the chamber is provided with Cil aplurality of lateral slots i4 which are sufficient in number to permitliquid in the chamber to flow out through the spout at a suitable rateof delivery but which do not permit the insertion of a tool within thechamber 22 for the purpose of tampering with any mechanism within thechamber.

For controlling the flow oi liquid into and out of the chamber A22, avalve member l@ is provided. This valve member is preferably an invertedcup in the form of a hollow cylinder which is closed at the top andwhich is adapted to telescope loosely over the portion or" the outletmember 12 which is within the chamber. On the top of the member 'l5 is avalve element 'i3 which is arranged to seat in the orice at the lowerend of the tubular member 2st to close the passage through the tube andthus to control the ow of liquid from the bottle into the chamber 22. Atthe lower end of the valve member that is, the rim of the inverted cup,is a valve element Si! which is annular in form and which is adapted toseat against the bottom of the chamber 22 surrounding the outlet 'E2 soas to cut orf the flow of liquid from the chamber. Thus when the valvemember 'it is raised to its upper position, the passageway from thebottle into the chamber 22 is shut o and liquid .already in the chamber22 is allowed to now out through the outlet l2. When the valve member leis moved to its lower position shown in Figure e, the outlet l2 isclosed and the passageway through the tube 2t is opened to permit thechamber to be reiilled from the bottle. The valve member 76 is manuallyoperated by means of mechanism including a plunger S2 which extendsthrough vthe bottom of the housing 2c so that a portion thereof isaccessible for operation, the outside end having a handle or knob 33thereon. The upper end of the plunger 82, which is within the housing2li, is mechanically connected to the valve member i6 by means whichincludes a snap-action mechanism within the housing. The plunger 82 isconnected at its upper end to the end of a lever 34 which is pivoted at85 so vas to rock within the housing. This lever is connected by atension spring 3l to a U-shaped member 2d (Figure 3) having trunnions aunear its ends journalled in the walls of the housing to provide arocking axis. The transverse portion or" the U-shaped member 88 ispivotally attached to a valve member '92 having a valve element tiriadapted to close the upper end of a tube S6 which extends from thechamber 22 to the interior of the housing 2E) and serves as a vent. rThevalve member S2 is also attached to a` vertical rod 98 which extendsloosely through the tube S5 and is attached to the valve member 'i5 sothat when the U-shaped member 83 swings upward so as to elevate themember 92, the valve member 'it is also moved to its upper position andthe vent through the tube t is opened. When the U-shaped member 83swings down, it moves the valve member is down to its lower position andsimultaneously closes the vent through the tube SG. As is evident fromFigure 4, the ends of the spring 8l are so related to the axis of thetrunnions Q3 that when the plunger t2 is pushed upward the spring moveslaterally past the rocking axis of the member 88. When this takes place,the spring causes an abrupt upward movement of the valve member 92 andconsequently of the Valve member lli. In like manner when the plunger'52 is allowed to descend, the spring Si acts not only to press theplunger t2 downward but also to snap the U-shaped member 88 downwardwhen the spring passes the ro-cking axis of this member. Thus it isimpossible to operate the external portion of the plunger 82 in such amanner as to hold the valve member 18 in an intermediate position whichwould permit the contents of the bottle supported by the device totrickle out through the passageway in the tube v2|! and through theoutlet 'l2 at the same time. By this snap-action mechanism therefore theend of the tube 24 is shut or the outlet 12 is shut except for the briefinstants during which the valve member 18 snaps up or down.

The vent in the tube 98 admits air from the housing 28 into the chamber22 when the outlet 12 is open so as to prevent the contents of thechamber from becoming air bound when the outlet 12 is open for thedischarge of the same. The valve 84 closes the vent when the outlet l2is closed so that there is no leakage when the chamber 22 is relled fromthe bottle. In order to ensure positive and rapid refilling of thechamber after the valve member 18 has been moved down to open thepassage from the bottle to the chamber, a vertical partition |88 isprovided. This may be conveniently in the form of a thin blade mountedon the upper end of the valve member 76 and projecting up through aconsiderable part of the interior of the tube 22. This blade is almostas wide as the interior diameter of the tube 24 so that it fits looselyin the tube 24 and extends diametrically across it, dividing the passageinto two substantially equal passages of semicircular cross section.When the valve 'EE moves down to open the lower end of the tube 24, thetube is then full of liquid sin-ce the upper vend of the tube isconstantly open and in communication with the interior of the bottle.There are thus two columns of liquid in the tube, one on each side ofthe partition member |88. Any balance which there may be in the liquidin these columns when the valve element i8 leaves its seat is unstableand is immediately disturbed by turbulence created by the downwardmovement of the valve and the partition member attached thereto, and theunbalance is quickly augmented by a downward flow of liquid in theheavier column and an upward flow of air on the other side of thepartition. Thus a counter flow is promptly established on the two sidesof the partition, the liquid flowing down on one side without beingobstructed by bubbles and the air owing up on the other side of thepartition without being obstructed by down flowing liquid until itreaches the upper end of the partition. This arrangement avoids the useof vents of small cross-section which are apt to become inoperative byreason of the surface tension of any liquid which may get into the vent.

As shown in Figure 3, the housing 28 contains a counter or tallyregister |82 which is inserted in a compartment in the housing beforethe top cover is secured in place. The counter is arranged in such a waythat the window of the counter which exhibits the numerals shows throughan aperture |84 in a side wall of the housing as indicated in Figure 2.The counter is operated by a rock shaft |86 to which is attached a lever|88 having a forked end. A linger l |8 on the U-shaped member 88 engagesin the fork |88r so that when the member 88 is rocked upward, the shaft|08 is rocked by the snap-action movement of the member 88 so as toregister an additional unit on the counter. Thus, the counter operatesto record an additional unit each time the plunger 82 is pushed upsuiciently to open the discharge outlet 12.

In another compartment of the housing 28 is a printing unit H2 which isarranged to print any desired indicia on a card or ticket inserted in aslot H8 in the end wall of the housing. As shown in Figure 5, theprinting unit |2 may comprise a block I8 in the nature of a woodcut withraised gures thereon adapted to make impressions on the card or ticketthrust into the slot H4. The block H8 is preferably of absorbentmaterial which can be saturated with ink so as to make a considerablenumber of impressions before it is necessary to replenish the inksupply. For this purpose I may employ wood from which the lignin hasbeen dissolved leaving a porous structure capable of holding aconsiderable supply of suitable ink. The block H8 may be frictionallysupported in a receptacle 8 of sheet copper or the like, the bottom ofthe block being exposed so as to make impressionsI on the card or ticketin the slot H4 when the block is depressed. The top portion of thereceptacle H8 may be continued as an extended strip |28 which isreversely bent into an S form, the top portion |2| being widened so thatits margins enter grooves in the housing as shown in Figure 7, the endportion |22 being bent down vertically to form an end wall for theprinting unit fiush with the end wall of the housing 28. The S-shapedportion |28 of the strip is resilient so that the block H8 isresiliently supported above the slot lill Aand can readily be pusheddown to make impressions. This is conveniently done by an end |28 of thelever 88 which engages the block and presses it down when the lever isrocked by an upward push of the plunger 82. Since the upward movement ofthe plunger also serves to open the discharge l2, it is evident that aprinting operation occurs every time a discharge from the chamber 22 ispermitted.

The printing unit is adapted to be inserted into the housing through anaperture of suitable size which is closed by the end portion |22 of thecopper strip. When the printing unit is in place it can be lockedtherein by a pin |38 which projects downward from the flange 58 of thecollet member through the top cover plate of the housing 28. When thecollet is in its elevated position and thus insertable into or removablefrom the neck of a bottle the pin |38 is sufficiently elevated to permitthe insertion or removal of a printing unit in the housing 28. When,however, the ange 58 is depressed so as to expand the collet and thus tolock it within the neck of the bottle, the pin |38 moves downward into acorresponding hole in the top portion of the S bend |28 so that theprinting unit cannot be removed from the housing until the collet memberis released and moved upward. Thus as long as the housing is locked tothe bottle in which the collet has been inserted, the printing unitcannot be removed from the housing. If, however, it is desired to removethe whole housing from the bottle and transfer it to another bottlecontaining a beverage of different price, the printing unit can bereadily exchanged for another adapted to print the other price.

The bottom of the housing may be made with a transverse interior rib |82on its bottom. In case any liquid leaks past the sleeve 88 or boot I8into the housing, the rib |32 keeps it away from any card or ticketwhich may be inserted in the slotl lil and causes the liquidto escape,through the fho'le in :the .bottom of the housing through which theplunger 82 extends.

The operation of the device will vbe Yevident from the `foregoingdescription of the parts'thereof. It is inverted as indicated in Figures9 andlO for the insertion of Vthe tubular member and collet into theneck of the bottle from which the liquid contents are to be Vdispensedin measured doses. When .the tube .and collet have been suitably,ins'erted, and the desired printing unit has been insertedin thehousing, the ange 5S is 'manually pushed toward the housing to expandthe collet within .the bottle neck and thus to 'prevent the removal orthe device from the bottle until .the locking ratchet 15S is released bymeans of a suitable key `in `the lock barrel 56. The bottle with thedevice Vattached thereto is now inverted so as to bring the device intoan upright .position beneath the inverted bottle. It is then attached tothe supporting channel portion and is ready for operation. .Suiiicientliquid ows down from the bottle to nll the chamber 22 and the passagewaythrough the tube 2li. The device is now readyfor dispensing of theliquid contents of the bottle. This is done by pushing the plunger 82 upto rock the lever 84. This operates the printing unit I l2 and thesnap-action mechanism. rEhe latter operates the counter ISE, opens thedischarge valve 8.0 and z'closes the passage through the `tube 221.Atthe same time the vent through the tube 96 is opened so that themeasured liquid within the chamber Y22 quickly flows out through theoutlet '12 while the plunger 82 is manual-ly held inits upper position.VThe emptying of the Vchamber can be A.watched `through its transparentwall. When the plunger `is released, it is moved down by gravity and bythe spring 8l which also operates the snap-action mechanism to move thevalve member lr6 quickly downward, opening .the passage through the tube24 and closing the outlet 12. The quick telescoping movement of thevalve member .T6 over the upper vpart of the outlet member 'l2 resultsin momentarily compressing the air Withinthe hollow interior of thevalve member le, this momentary compression causing a puff through theoutlet i2 immediately after the valve 8G h'aslseated. This pu blows out'the remaining Adrop of liquid from the .outlet 72, thus avoiding YanyAsubsequent drip. rEhe chamber 22 quickly refills, and the device isvready for thenext dis- Densing operation.

I claim:

l. Ina device for dispensing liquid from an inverted bottle or the like,an expansible member having a passage therethrough and adapted to beinserted inthe neck of a bottle, means for eX- panding the inserted endof said member to prevent removal thereof from the bottle, key-opernated .means in said device for preventing unauthorized contraction ofsaid expansible member When Vexpanded. in a bottle neck, a measuringchamber communicating with said passage, said chamber .having an outlet,and valve means operableto `open said outlet and to shut off thechamberfrom said passage,

2. .In adevice for dispensing liquid from an inverted bottle or thelike, means for securing said device to a bottle, means for locking saidsecuring means, a measuring chamber having an inlet communicating with'the interior of said bottle and a discharge outlet, a valve membermovable to two'operative positions in one of which the inlet is open andthe outlet is closed, and in the other of which the inlet is closed andthe outlet is open, .anrexterior handle operable to move said valve backand `forth between said .two positions, andra spring snap-actionmechanism vconnecting said handle .and Valve member whereby wheneversaid handle is moved .tar enough to start the valve member from eitherposition, the valve member is quickly moved by the spring vmechanism tothe other'position.

i3. In a device for dispensing liquid from an inverted bottle or thelike, a housing, a tubular member 4projecting upward from said housingand adapted to enter the neck of a bottle, a collet slidably fitted onsaid tubular member, said collet having a split upper end portion withan inwardly tapering inner wall whereby downward movement of the collet`on the tubular member causes expansion of the split upper fend thereof,a ratchet member secured to said collet and projecting through the topof lsaid housing, and locking means within said housing cooperating withsaid ratchet member to 'prevent upward movement of the collet relativeto said tubular member to contractthe upper end portion thereto.

4. In a device for dispensing liquid from an inverted bottle or thelike, a housing, a measuring chamber secured to said housing, a tubularmember extending upward from said chamber and having one upper portionIadapted to be inserted in the neck of a bottle, a collet memberslidable on said upper vportion of said tubular member, said colletmember having a split upper end portion with `a converging inner wallsurface engageable bythe upper end of the tubular member to eX- pand thesplit end of the collet, said collet member having Va iiange at itslower end above said housing, a ratchet member projecting down from saidflange through the top of said housing, a spring latch within fsaidhousing engaging said ratchet to lock said ratchet against upwardmovement, a Akey-operable dog within said housing adapted 'to retractsaid latch to release said ratchet, vvalve means Within said measuringchamber for controlling the discharge of liquid from the bottle, andmeans including a snap-action mechanism within said housing foroperating said valve means.

5. 'In a device for dispensing liquid from an inverted bottle or thelike, a tubular member adapted to be inserted into the neckof `a bottle,`a tubular collet slidably tted on said member and split at its upperend, said collet having a converging inner wall Vat its upper endengageable by the upper end of said tubular member to expand the collet,a sleeve of soft resilient material tted en said collet member, and aboot of liquidtight material extending from the lower end of the colletmember to the adjacent portion of the tubular member'to prevent escapeof liquid otherwise than through suoli tubular member'.

6. In a device for dispensing liquid from an inverted bottle or thelike, a'housing, a tubular member projecting from said housing andadapted to project into the neck of a bottle, said tubular member havingva passage for the discharge of liquid from said bottle, means partiallyWithin said housing for securing said member Within a bottle neck,key-operable means within said housing for releasing said securingmeans, a valve'member movable to open and close said passage, a leverpivoted at one end within the housing and operatively attached to thevalve member at the other end, an operating lever pivoted `within theVhousing and having an end portion arranged to swing back and forth pastthe rocking axis of the rst said lever, a tension spring extending fromthe swinging end of Aone said lever to the swinging end cf the otherlever, and means extending from said operating lever to the exterior ofthe housing for rocking said operating lever.

7. In a :device for dispensing liquid from an inverted bottle or thelike, a tubular member having an upper portion adapted to be insertedinto the neck of a bottle to provide a passage for the escape of liquidtherefrom, a valve at the lower end of said tubular member operable toopen and close said passage, and means in said passage for facilitatingthe outflow of liquid and inflow of air, said means consisting of ablade extending laterally diametrically across the passage and extendinglongitudinally from said valve a substantial distance toward the upperend of this passage.

8. In a device for dispensing liquid from an inverted bottle or thelike, a tubular member having an upper portion adapted to be insertedinto the neck of a bottle to provide a passage for the escape of liquidtherefrom, a measuring chamber communicating with the lower end of saidpassage, said chamber having an outlet, a vertically movable valvemember in said chamber with upper and lower valve elements arranged toclose said passage or said outlet according to the position of the valvemember, operating means for moving said valve member up and down, andmeans attached to said valve member for facilitating outow of liquidfrom said bottle and inflow of air, said means consisting of a bladeextending up from said valve member through said passage for asubstantial portion of the length thereof and extending diametricallyacross said passage to divide it into two substantially equal passages.

9. In a device for dispensing liquid from an inverted bottle or thelike, a tubular member adapted to be inserted into the neck of a bottleto provide a passage for the escape of liquid therefrom, a chambersecured to the lower end of .said tubular member and communicating withsaid passage, said chamber having an outlet member consisting of ahollow cylinder open at its lower end only, the upper portion of saidcylinder hav- 'ing a plurality of small lateral apertures opening intosaid chamber, a valve member vertically movable within said chamber andconsisting of a hollow cylinder having its upper end closed and itslower end open to telescope loosely over the upper portion of the outletmember, said valve member having a valve element at its upper endadaptedto close said passage when the member is moved up and a secondvalve element at its lower end adapted to close said outlet when thevalve member is moved down, and snap-action means attached to said valvemember operable to move it abruptly up or down.

10. In a device for ydispensing liquid from an inverted bottle or thelike, a housing having a slot to receive a card, a measuring chambersecured to the bottom of said housing, a tubular member extending upfrom said chamber through said housing and having an upper portionadapted to be inserted into the neck of a bottle to provide a passagefor the discharge of liquid from the bottle, means for locking said:device to the bottle after the insertion of sai-d tubular member intothe neck thereof, a printing element movable in said housing to printindicia on a card inserted in said slot, a lever rockably mounted insaid housing and having a portion operatively engaging said movableprinting element, a manually operable plunger attached to said lever andprojecting out from said housing, a valve mem- Per in. Said measuringchamber movable to con- 10 trol the discharge of liquid through saidpassage, a tally registerV mounted in said housing, and a snap-actionmechanism operatively connecting said lever with said valve member andsaid tally register.

11. In a device for dispensing liquid from an inverted bottle or thelike, a rectangular housing having a slot and an aperture in an endthereof for the admission of a card to be printed and for the receptionof a printing device, a tubular member having a portion projecting upfrom said housing for insertion into the neck of a bottle to provide apassage for the discharge of liquid from the bottle a collet memberslidably mounted on said tubular member and expandible at its upper endby downward movement relative to the tubular member, a flange secured tothe lower end of said collet member, a ratchet member projecting fromsaid ange downward into said housing, a spring latch within said housingengaging said ratchet to prevent upward movement of said collet member,a printing device inserted into said housing through said aperture, anda locking pin projecting down from said flange and engaging saidprinting device to prevent the removal thereof from the housing when thecollet member has been moved downward to expand the upper end thereof.

12. In a container for liquid having an outlet in the bottom thereof, ashort tube extending upward from said outlet within the container, saidtube being closed at its upper end and having lateral apertures for theescape of liquid therethrough, to the outlet, an inverted cup movablefrom a raised position above said tube to a lowered position looselytelescoping said tube, said cup having a valve element on its rimengaging the bottom of the container on a continuous line around saidoutlet when the cup is in its lowered position, and means for rapidlymoving said cup from its raised to its lowered position.

ROBERT W. WOODWARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 226,635 Thornton Apr. 20, 1880352,874 Johnson Nov. 16, 1886 463,304 Fowler NOV. 17, 1891 683,248 ChaseSept. 24, 1901 896,804 Cumming Aug. 25, 1908 963,633 Newland July 5,1910 1,256,298 Cremona Feb. 12, 1918 1,509,407 MacQuarrie Sept. 23, 19241,514,834 Danenhower Nov. 11, 1924 1,651,669 Carpmeal Dec. 6 19271,843,532 Willson Feb. 2 1932 1,969,385 Raemer Aug. 7, 1934 2,070,421Chisholm et al. Feb. 9, 1937 2,101,471 Greenbaum Dec. 7, 1937 2,136,421Everett Nov. 15, 1938 2,150,760 Cozzoli Mar. 14, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 352,073 France May 22, 1905 86,165 Switzerland Aug.2, 1920 366,815 Germany Jan. 12, 1923 266,022 Great Britain Feb. 21,1927 27,932 Netherlands Sept. 15, 1932

